Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia

by Malia, Martin

• ISBN13: 9780684823133
• ISBN10: 0684823136
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781439118542
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-11-14
• Publisher: Ingram Book Co
• More Book Details

Summary

"The Soviet Tragedyis an essential coda to the literature of Soviet studies...Insofar as [he] returns the power of ideology to its central place in Soviet history, Malia has made an enormous contribution. He has written the history of a utopian illusion and the tragic consequences it had for the people of the Soviet Union and the world."-- David Remnick,The New York Review of Books"In Martin Malia, the Soviet Union had one of its most acute observers. With this book, it may well have found the cornerstone of its history."-- Francois Furet, author ofInterpreting the French Revolution"The Soviet Tragedyoffers the most thorough scholarly analysis of the Communist phenomenon that we are likely to get for a long while to come...Malia states that his narrative is intended 'to substantiate the basic argument,' and this is certainly an argumentative book, which drives its thesis home with hammer blows. On this breathtaking journey, Malia is a witty and often brilliantly penetrating guide. He has much wisdom to impart."--The Times Literary Supplement"This is history at the high level, well deployed factually, but particularly worthwhile in the philosophical and political context -- at once a view and an overview."--The Washington Post

Author Biography

Martin Edward Malia was a historian specializing in Russian history. He taught at the University of California at Berkeley from 1958 to 1991. Malia's best known work is his history of Russian communism, The Soviet Tragedy.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction. The Historical Issues: A Time for Judgment	1	(20)
Part I. The Origins	21	(60)
Chapter 1. Why Socialism?	21	(30)
Socialism: The Highest Stage of Democracy	22	(12)
Marx and Class Struggle	34	(7)
High Capitalism and Fin de Siècle	41	(10)
Chapter 2. And Why in Russia First?	51	(30)
Russia and Europe	53	(6)
Narrowing the Gap	59	(13)
Lenin and Bolshevism	72	(9)
Part II. The Experiment	81	(192)
Chapter 3. The Road to October: 1917	81	(28)
To the February Station	83	(8)
To the October Terminus	91	(7)
Proletariat or Party?	98	(11)
Chapter 4. A Regime Is Born: War Communism, 1918-1921	109	(30)
The Descent into Chaos	111	(7)
The Party Strikes Back	118	(12)
A First-Quarter Report	130	(9)
Chapter 5. The Road Not Taken: NEP, 1921-1928	139	(38)
Woe to the Victors	140	(5)
Economic Dilemmas	145	(22)
Political Solutions	167	(10)
Chapter 6. And They Built Socialism: 1929-1935	177	(50)
The Stalin Question	178	(12)
The Ultimate Class Struggle	190	(21)
Some Mid-Course Evaluations	211	(16)
Chapter 7. Purge and Consolidation: 1935-1939	227	(46)
Soviet Culture	229	(14)
The Great Terror	243	(21)
The Cunning of Unreason	264	(9)
Part III. The Empire	273	(132)
Chapter 8. The Fortunes of War: 1939-1953	273	(42)
The Great Patriotic War	275	(16)
The Cold War	291	(19)
Exit the Red Khan	310	(5)
Chapter 9. Reform Communism I: Khrushchev's Moscow Spring, 1953-1964	315	(36)
De-Stalinization	318	(9)
Khrushchev's "New Deal"	327	(14)
Riding for a Fall	341	(10)
Chapter 10. And the Bill Came Due: Brezhnev and Nomenklatura Communism, 1964-1982	351	(54)
Reform Flickers Out	352	(18)
The Burden of Global Power	370	(12)
Internal Arteriosclerosis	382	(8)
The Weakest Link: The External Empire	390	(15)
Part IV. The End	405	(100)
Chapter 11. Reform Communism II: Gorbachev and Perestroika, 1982-1988	405	(40)
"Acceleration"	407	(14)
Glasnost	421	(11)
Revolution from Below	432	(6)
The Revolt of the Nationalities	438	(7)
Chapter 12. From Perestroika to Collapse: 1989-1991	445	(46)
Democratization	446	(8)
The Weakest Link Snaps: 1989	454	(9)
The Superstructure Dissolves: 1990	463	(11)
The Base Crumbles: 1990	474	(6)
Reaction and Collapse: September 1990-December 1991	480	(11)
Chapter 13. The Perverse Logic of Utopia	491	(14)
The Roots of Fragility	491	(7)
The Cunning of Utopia	498	(7)
Epilogue. The Legacy	505	(16)
Russia after Socialism	505	(8)
Socialism after Sovietism	513	(8)
Notes and Sources	521	(34)
Acknowledgments	555	(2)
Index	557